In the Shop: Q&A with Turntable Lab

<b>Turntable Lab</b>, a fierce haven for DJ supplies, some slick vinyl, and tasty urban wears was established in 1998 by a triad of music loving gentlemen in NYC. Anthony Cattarina, Jasper Goggins, and Peter Hahn conceived Turntable Lab after numerous negative experiences at stores that sold dj equipment, both big musical instrument chains and shady Canal Street

Turntable Lab, a fierce haven for DJ supplies, some slick vinyl, and tasty urban wears was established in 1998 by a triad of music loving gentlemen in NYC. Anthony Cattarina, Jasper Goggins, and Peter Hahn conceived Turntable Lab after numerous negative experiences at stores that sold dj equipment, both big musical instrument chains and shady Canal Street
stereo stores. Turned off by haggling, uninformed salesmen, and questionable product, Turntable Lab built its business on fair pricing, informed reviews, and a well researched selection of Lab approved items. Over 90% of the Lab’s employees are working djs / producers / musicians, which helps to ensure this high standard.

Turntable Lab soon applied their knowledge to other outlets including recorded music, production equipment, clothing, books, and cameras, of course.

Turntable Lab opened its first retail location in 2001. In December of 2005, Turntable opened its new flagship store in Hollywood, California. Currently the Turntable Lab headquarters is located in Brooklyn, New York (right upstairs from Lomography USA).

They opened the TTL Annex in October 2007 due to increasing demand for clothing and books at their DJ shop. The TTL Annex features a full range of cut & sew clothing, t-shirts, books, design objects, videos, and select CDs.

We caught up with Jay Goitia of the Turntable Lab team to get the scoop on music, food, and life in that little town called Brooklyn.

Best new DJ act on the scene in the 08?

Flying Lotus. Recently got a chance to catch him live and he absolutely kills it!

Worst bike spill ever, any scars to prove it?

Going down Flushing Ave. (that street is the worst!) and almost getting run down while crossing an intersection. I didn’t get hit (barely), but I got so shook I lost balance and fell off. No lasting scars though so I guess I’m pretty lucky.

First song you can remember getting down to?

Michael Jackson – “Beat It”

Describe your neighborhood and what makes it unique:

Living on the border of Bushwick and Williamsburg is like having one foot in the ‘hood and one foot in an artist’s community. You still have all the ghetto bodegas and dollar stores on the corner, but you also have funky art houses and “natural” groceries. It’s a cool mix of native New Yorkers and transplants from all over. I like the fact that I can buy authentic homemade empanadas from the old lady next door and then walk down the street and get cheap used records at the second-hand shop.

Most coveted vinyl in your collection?

7" pic disc of “Jaan Pehechan Ho” by Mohammed Rafi.

Best video game ever played and your score to boot.

Mario Kart! (any version will do, but the Nintendo DS is my personal fave – though the Wii version is a close second). I don’t have a high score per say, but I’ll take anyone on in a race with my Luigi skills. For real.

Favorite acoustic musical instrument?

The Brazilian percussion instrument that makes that funky noise that sounds like a beat-boxing monkey or a straw going in and out of a lid (can never remember the name of it though).

Best place in the world to bring your camera? Got the picture to prove it?

N-Y-C. You never know what you going to come across in these crazy streets! But Barcelona is a close second.

Three things you can’t live without:

Good food, good music, and good friends.

Flyest sneakers to hit the streets in 2008 or any other year for that matter:

Converse All-Star Chuck Taylors – been fly for almost a century.

Best book on your shelf?

Ode To Kirihito By Osamu Tezuka (ok, so it’s a comic, but its over 800 pages long so I count it as a book!)

Best food in Brooklyn?

in Brooklyn: Lily Thai on Grand Street.

in Manhattan: BBQ Chicken (Korean Fried Chicken spot that fries everything in extra virgin olive oil, and no – they don’t serve Bar-B-Que chicken). Go on Thursday night for chicken, beer and karaoke! I blogged about their delicious chicken here.

In celebration of the mindblowing solar eclipse we had the other day, we ran a competition and asked you to tag your analogue photos centered around our great big yellow friend! Check out the winners now!

In December last year James Wright, editor and creative director of So It Goes Magazine, went on a two-week trip to Sri Lanka, "a place so long on our bucket list, but up until then, as yet unvisited," he writes on the first of his three-part photo diary. Herein is the first of his series that chronicles his adventures, highlighted by a selection of breathtaking images of the Sri Lankan countryside and the locals, among many other images, captured with his trusty photographic companions: the Leica MP, Lomo LC-A+, and an assortment of films including the LomoChrome Purple.

Simeon Smith is a musician who recorded the sounds of our film cameras in action and made these samples available as a free download. We couldn't resist interviewing him about this project and taking a look at some of his photos. Meet the man behind the cams here.

Stephen Shore introduced to the 70s art world an unadorned image of American life. He captured littered restaurant tables as other photographers would immaculate vistas. For the opening of “American Surfaces”, he even taped unframed snapshots on gallery walls. In these videos, Shore talks about objects that have “no pretention to art” and the things he learned from Andy Warhol.

Shop News

Petzval lens are designed for a Canon or Nikon SLR mounts and a selection of brass or black for each camera brand is available in our stores. And start shooting with images full of sharpness, crispness and bokeh effects!

In my early adolescence, I liked to play table football. For my 12th birthday, my parents gifted me with a wonderful Subbuteo table soccer game set that I had wished for many months! This was my favorite toy until I discovered other interesting hobbies, like ham radio and electronics. So after some years, I gave away this game to other kids. I always remembered this game with pleasure and a hint of nostalgia.